Kris Strife: the wandering years
by Kris Strife
Summary: Kris Strife is wandering, lets see what happens and try to understand him further. More ready and waiting for me to get around to it.
1. Default Chapter

Kris Strife had been wandering for two years, ever since the village he had grown up in had been destroyed by the Dark Army. He had avenged his friends and his adopted family by destroying the remainder of the enemy force. He had survived using his abilities to hunt and gather food and had picked up additional supplies by helping out villages and kingdoms. Now however, in the middle of winter and with no problems in any of the surrounding villages, it seemed he was out of luck. He had a little money left and hadn't eaten in a week, so he decided to enter the restaurant in this village and buy dinner. He walked in, brushing snow of the tattered robes, once varying shades of red but now bleached orange, and the solid gray fur that covered his feline body. He pulled the hood down revealing his spiky teal hair and gazed around the room with his bright green eyes. He walked to the bar and jumped onto an empty bar stool. One of the furres behind the bar, a female lapine, walked over to him and smiled kindly.  
  
"Hello there," she greeted him. "I'm Alina. How can I help you?"  
  
"I'm Kris, Kris Strife," he replied, returning the smile. "I'd like to get something to eat."  
  
"It looks like its been awhile since you've eaten."  
  
"It's winter, so no farms need me and there isn't anything I can get from the surrounding area. And things seem to be pretty peaceful right now."  
  
"Oh I see, you're a wanderer. Well what would you like?"  
  
"Umm, what can I get with this?"  
  
Kris pulled out a gold coin and a few silver pieces. Alina's eyes went wide.  
  
"You could just about by the restaurant with that," she told him.  
  
"Really? That's odd. This wasn't even enough to get me a room in the last kingdom. What's going on?" Kris asked nervously.  
  
"We're under the rule of a tyrant. He taxes us pretty heavily so even a copper piece could buy you a meal. Most of the families here would sell you their children for what you have."  
  
"Hmm. A tyrant, don't care too much for them. Is any one fighting him?"  
  
"Yeah. There's a resistance movement, but this guy has a strong army. If you wanted to help out and maybe make some money, you should sign on as a mercenary."  
  
"I don't suppose you'd know who I could get in contact with to sign up do you?"  
  
"Actually, my boyfriend is the leader."  
  
"Well, when you get off, you'll have to let me meet him."  
  
"Actually, he'll be here soon. I'll bring you a nice hot bowl of stew and you can wait for him."  
  
"Thanks. Here have a silver."  
  
"You know that's worth about twenty bowls."  
  
"I know. It's for your help. And that tyrant will be gone before I leave so that silver won't be worth that much anymore."  
  
"Thank you. I think."  
  
Kris had rapidly eaten the first bowl of vegetable stew Alina had brought, finding it delicious. He was eating his second bowl much slower when a dragon furre with a feline and an equine on either side walked in. Alina looked at the dragon and smiled.  
  
"Idair!" she called as she ran over and embraced him.  
  
"Alina my love!" the dragon responded as he gave her a hug with wings and arms. "How are you?"  
  
"I'm fine," she responded as she pulled his head down and kissed him. "Oh yeah, there's someone I want you to meet."  
  
"Oh? You aren't leaving me are you?"  
  
"No silly. This is good news for you."  
  
She guided him halfway over to the bar then got a little hesitant. Kris turned around to look. Sensing something was wrong, he finished off his stew and walked over to them.  
  
"So, you're Alina's boyfriend," he said to Idair. He reached out one paw. "Nice to meet you. I'm Kris Strife."  
  
"Alina, did you adopt him?" Idair asked her."  
  
"No. Kris, you don't find it odd that my boyfriend is a dragon?"  
  
"Not at all. I believe that if you love someone, go for it no matter what species they are. Not only do I not condemn your relationship, I wish you luck. Actually sir, I'd like to become a mercenary. I'm sorry if that's not how these things are normally done, but I've never been a mercenary before."  
  
"You want to be a merc? You can't be older than ten. How could you help us?"  
  
"Actually, I'm twelve, and I fought more battles than you have scales. I've trained with heroes from thousands of dimensions in hand-to-hand combat, swordsmanship, guns, magic, energy manipulation, combat tactics, and how to use pretty much any weapon. That and when I was ten, I single-handedly attacked a force of five-hundred soldiers and took down every last one of them."  
  
"So you say. Lets see how you do against two of my best men. Jiran, Olar; give him a test."  
  
"Not inside!" said Alina.  
  
"I know honey. Guys, show him the door."  
  
The two soldiers that had come in with Idair rushed Kris. He jumped easily over their heads, turned and landed. Facing them, he pulled off his robes, leaving him standing in worn looking leather clothing, with a sword handle poking over his right shoulder. He jumped feet first and kicked both of the soldiers out of the door. He ran out the door and into the street. He pulled his sword from its sheath and stood there, on opponent on each side.  
  
"Well, is that the best you can do?" he asked, the light refracting in the crystallized ki-blade. "Come on, I'm only a little kid."  
  
"Heh, Sword Smash Kick!" yelled the equine smashing one hoof against Kris's sword.  
  
"What?! It didn't break?" asked the feline.  
  
"Of course not. This is the Ki-Blade. It's unbreakable."  
  
"You wield the Ki-Blade?! Olir, there's no way in hell we can beat him."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"I've heard about him. Everything he said is true. He's taken down more than a few armies."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"There's no way you guys can win with that attitude," Kris said. "If you give up just because it's a long shot you'll win, then you won't fight hard enough in battle. Now, lets go have a talk with Idair."  
  
"No need. I'm right here," said the dragonic fighter. "Well Kris, I think its time we talk about a contract."  
  
"Actually, all I need is new clothing, food, somewhere to sleep and enough money to last me for three months after I leave. For that, I'll fight until we either win or all of us die."  
  
"Hmm. sounds good. Follow me to the troop housing."  
  
"Idair!" came Alina's voice from the inn.  
  
"Fine. Alina wants you to come live with us. I think she's taken a motherly interest in you."  
  
"Don't worry. I won't impinge upon your lifestyle. And it will be good practice for if you two get married. Eventually the two of you will have kids. But remember, the two of you shouldn't get too attached to me. I might leave at any time." 


	2. Assassin

Kris Strife was thirteen years old. His work as a mercenary was doing just fine. The young feline furre stretched slightly as he stood up from his campsite. He had somewhat new orange and blue clothing in addition to loose multi-shade red robes that he tended to wear in cold weather. He picked up his sword, the legendary Ki-Blade from the ground, where it had been with in easy reach of his hand while he slept. He noticed he was low on funds and realized he needed to get more work soon. He walked into a near by town.  
  
"Geez, this place looks run down, and not even a peaceful run down. Well guess I better head to the inn and see what's going on," he said to himself.  
  
Suddenly he heard a commotion.  
  
"NO! I don't want to leave!" he heard a young female's voice say.  
  
"Emperor Iansra has requested you." A gruffer voice said.  
  
"Please, don't take her. He took our other daughter last week," came the voice of an older female.  
  
Kris rushed over and saw some guards attempting to carry off a girl who couldn't have been more than sixteen.  
  
"Hey, what's going on here?" Kris asked, loosening his sword in its sheath.  
  
"Stay out of this outsider. It's none of your business."  
  
"I quite disagree. You seem to be bothering that girl and I'm a wandering hero. It seems that this is exactly my business."  
  
"Fine, the five of you, fight him off. The rest of you, help me drag this wench off," said the one who seemed to be in charge.  
  
Kris pulled the sword from its sheath and charged into the group. He was rather amazed at how fiercely these soldiers fought. By the time he defeated them, the others had escaped. He walked over to the woman who was now weeping against a full grown male furre.  
  
"Excuse me, but what's wrong?" he asked concerned.  
  
"That was our youngest daughter," replied the male. "Toliran's guards carried her off to the castle. The fate that awaits her there is worth than death."  
  
"Who is Toliran?"  
  
"He's a tyrant who's been ruling this land for ten thousand years. He found a way to make himself immortal by stealing the souls of young girls."  
  
"That's not good. What does he do?"  
  
"Well, the thing about souls is that rape doesn't affect them. If you're a virgin and you're raped, your soul is still that of a virgin."  
  
"That makes sense."  
  
"Yes, but rape does loosen your soul's grip. If you are raped repeatedly it can cost you your soul."  
  
"Let me guess, this guy takes young girls, rapes them and then uses their souls to make himself immortal?"  
  
"Basically."  
  
"Alright, that is NOT cool. Look my name is Kris Strife. I'm a mercenary and I'd like to help. Is there any force fighting this guy?"  
  
"No. but you seem to be a good fighter. Perhaps we could enlist your help in another area."  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
That night Kris was sitting at a meeting of all the members of the town.  
  
"So let me get this straight," he said sitting up. "You want me to get into the castle, find this guys room, then assasinate him."  
  
"Yes. We'd be happy to pay you," responded the town leader, Ondain.  
  
"Well, I'll need to do a scouting mission and see if there is anyone in there worth saving. I'll be back in a week with my answer and my price."  
  
"But my daughter may not have a week," said the male from earlier.  
  
"Don't worry. I found a poison that has a negative affect on a guys love life. He won't be able to do anything to any one for ten days."  
  
Kris walked up to the castle where some guards were sitting around a fire. He had used an illusion spell to make himself appear young than he was.  
  
"I wonder what happened to those guys who stayed back to fight that kid," one of them, a canine, growled.  
  
"Maybe the kid injured them and they're off licking their wounds," said a lapine soldier.  
  
"Excuse me sirs, but I'm thinking about joining this group," said Kris politely. "Can you tell me what sort of initiation is required?"  
  
"Sure," said the canine from earlier. "To join, the first thing you have to do is kill all of your male relatives in front of witnesses, then you give any virgin female relatives to Toliran, then you have to rape and kill all of your non-virgin female relatives. So, think you're up to it?"  
  
"I don't think I can join. I'm an orphan."  
  
"Hmm... That is difficult. Well, it's a moot point right now, you're too young. Come back in about ten years."  
  
"Alright sir."  
  
Kris walked off, completely aghast at what he had heard.  
  
"Alright, not only will I take the attack, I'll do it for free," Kris said standing in front of the group. "I'll make sure every one in that fortress is dead!"  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Don't thank me. Just don't tell anyone who did it."  
  
Kris snuck into the castle. He headed over to the barracks. He knew he had to hurry, so he wasn't going to hold back, the poison he slipped into the water would wear off in a few hours. He slashed open the barracks door and burst in.  
  
"None of you will not live to see the dawn!" he cried. "I am the bringer of your deaths!"  
  
The whole room burst into violence, Kris seeming to be in several places at once, slashing, stabbing, punching, kicking, biting, clawing and unleashing bursts of energies. It seemed that every guard and soldier in the group was entering in so it took quite a while for the number of combatants to devcrease noticably. After a few hours, Kris waded out of the room, drenched in blood and gore.  
  
"Hmm, I'd make a vampire quite pleased right now. Plenty of food with out the mess of getting through fur and skin."  
  
He located the last two remaining life forces in the castle and headed to them, knowing he needed to hurry.  
  
"Well my dear, it seems that what ever affliciton I had is gone," said Toliran a black feathered Gryffe. "It's our special night."  
  
"No, please let me go. You took my sister right before me," said the female furre, a feline, who was chained to the bed.  
  
"Yes, and she was so, shall we say, pleasant, I wanted to see if her sister was as good."  
  
Suddenly the door was torn off its hinges and collided with the door on the other side. Kris was standing there completely covered in blood.  
  
"Toliet, or what ever your name is, its time for you to die. Don't bother calling your guards. None of them are still alive," Kris said, pointing the tip of his blood stained blade at the tyrant. "I promised to take you down and save that girl."  
  
Toliran snapped his fingers and armor appeared on him from nowhere. He barely had time to remove his sword from its sheath before Kris was on him.  
  
The young fighter was slashing away, his first swing having severed Toliran's arm at the elbow. He continued his attack against the pleading tyrant till he made no more sounds. He then moved over to a shelf covered with bottles of a similar shape, all of which were filled with a glowing light, the light of souls, and smashed them open. Standing there drenched in blood and gore, some of it his own, and surrounded by broken glass with glowing points of light moving away from him he made a figure both frightening and noble.  
  
"Excuse me miss, but can you get up?" he asked the feline furre in the bed.  
  
"No. I... I'm chained to it," she replied.  
  
"Hold on I'll get you out."  
  
He walked over to the bed, frightening the girl. She thought that he might attack her next. He hefted his sword and swung it downward. The girl flinched and closed her eyes until she heard the chink of metal on stone. She looked and saw that the chain had been neatly severed. Kris moved to the other and made three more strikes before wiping his sword on the floor and sheathing it.  
  
"You might want to get some clothes on. It's kind of cold out," he told the young furre. "I'll take you back to your village. Come on."  
  
She got up and found some clothes that fit and followed him out of the castle.  
  
After dropping the girl off at her house, Kris got about ten steps before he fell exhausted in the street. He lay there, coated in blood the whole night. The next morning he was gently moved to the meeting hall where he was washed and slept for the next three days.  
  
He woke up much refreshed, though quite hungry and needing to use certain facilities. After taking care of the latter, he sought to fix the former. He walked outside, not overly concerned with how he got inside, or why he was clean and still had his fur. He had been convinced that the two would be mutually exclusive.  
  
"Oh good, you're awake," came a femanine voice to his left. "I wanted to thank you."  
  
"Hmm? Oh, its you," Kris said seeing the girl he had saved.  
  
"You know, you might want to but some clothes on, its kind of cold."  
  
"Hmm? Oops. I hadn't noticed. Speaking of which, where are my clothes?"  
  
"Those things? They were ruined, we thought your fur was too."  
  
"Darn, those were new."  
  
"Well, we made you some new ones. They look just like the ones you had earlier, only these are a bit tougher. Its one of the things our village was none for. Really strong, but light fabrics."  
  
"Thank you!"  
  
Kris took the new clothing and put it on.  
  
"They fit great. But, umm can I get something to eat? I'm pretty hungry."  
  
"Sure, follow me."  
  
After several sandwiches, Kris was full and decided to leave.  
  
"I'd like to stay, but there's a lot of things left for me to do," he said smiling.  
  
"Well, feel free to come back if you get a chance, we all owe a great debt to you," said the female he had saved as she curtsied.  
  
"It's nothing. All I needed was some traveling food. I'll be fine."  
  
"Alright. But remember, if you ever need help, we're here."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Kris moved off down the path, wondering what awaited him next. 


	3. It's not what you think

"Get away from me!" a young feminine voice cried out.  
  
Kris Strife, a fourteen year old, male feline furre with gray fur and teal hair, heard this and came rushing over. As he did, he pulled his sword, the legendary Ki-Blade, out of its shoulder sheath. He crested a hill and saw a group of furres trying to drag off a female furre with wings on both her back and her head. She seemed to radiate an odd aura; no doubt that was why they were after her.  
  
"Leave her alone!" Kris cried out as he leapt down the hill. He landed right in the middle of the group, scattering the male furres. Brandishing his sword he spoke over his back to the girl. "Are you alright?"  
  
"Yes, thanks to you," she said breathily.  
  
"Umm... look, I'm not the best person for you to taking a romantic interest in."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because I'm a traveling warrior. I wouldn't exactly be able to hang around. That and I don't want a girl who only likes me cause I saved her."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Suddenly, one of the furres regained his courage.  
  
"Get away from her, she'll kill you!" he told Kris.  
  
"What? What are you talking about?"  
  
"She's a succubus!"  
  
"Meh, so she's a being. Big deal. She's still a living creature! That and I'm not easy to kill."  
  
"Come on, he's just a kid!" said another one of furres. "We can defeat him, then get her and go collect the bounty."  
  
Kris allowed them to get close as they charged in, then grabbed the succubus around the waist and jumped, clearing the group's collective head by about forty feet. He landed softly, let go of the female and rushed them. He bowled into the group and started slashing. Before long he had them defeated. He left them lying there in the dirt, still alive and with all of their limbs, but not able to move for a few hours.  
  
"Are you still alright miss?" he asked the female.  
  
"I'm fine, but I'm intrigued by you," she answered. "You were able to resist my entrapment spell."  
  
"I'm resistant to magicks. It's part of wielding the Ki-Blade."  
  
"Hmm... I see, well then maybe I can appeal to your body."  
  
"I would suggest against it. I can control my body by will power. Most furres can you know."  
  
"Hmmm, but your aura is so interesting, it feels like fire. And fire is fun, don't you think?"  
  
"Hmm... Yeah, so?"  
  
"And unsteady, like a shape shifter's. Hmmm..."  
  
"Look it doesn't matter. We need to get you home, cause I have stuff to do."  
  
"Oh, don't worry, my parents will find me soon enough and show up. Those guys had a spell which was keeping my parents from being able to detect me, but it's gone now."  
  
A few seconds after she said this, two furres, one male with feathery wings like the one he'd just saved and female with bat like wings, both of them wearing odd crowns appeared from no where.  
  
"Hello," Kris greeted him. "I take it you are the king of the incubi and the queen of the succubae."  
  
"Get away from our daughter now!" said the male pulling out a sword.  
  
"Calm down daddy. He saved me," said the furre Kris had just saved. "He beat up the guys who were bothering me."  
  
"Oh, that different then," said the queen. "Did we interrupt something?"  
  
"No mother. He's resistant to spells and didn't even give me a chance to appeal to his body without magic."  
  
"Oh. So how should we reward him?"  
  
"It's okay, I didn't do this expecting a reward. I did it to help out someone."  
  
"But you saved the crown princess of our kingdom. To not reward you is unthinkable. Ahh! I know!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"We should give him a copy of the royal crest with instructions that any one of our subjects any where in the world must help him in any way they can."  
  
"I think we owe him something personally."  
  
"I'm still here!"  
  
"Oh sorry. I know, we'll give you the crest and one personal favor from us personally."  
  
They handed him a small medallion with a string through the top. He placed it around his neck. He thanked them and waved goodbye. After they disappeared, he continued on his way. 


End file.
